Something's fishy!

During our week of vacation I took the kids and our maid to the new WalMart type store that opened fairly close by. I had three goals - find the durn thing; discover what they carried; and buy fish! Since I was at home during the same time as the maid I asked if she would teach me to make fish in a traditional way. So we ventured off, found the store (in a fairly rough part of town, not sure I want to be a regular shopper there unless I have someone with me), checked out the goods (very well stocked) and let the children make a spectacle of themselves as they watched the butcher "prepare" the fish. They were nearly hysterical with fits of screaming "EEWWWWW! GROSS!" and "He just pulled out the fishes GUTS!" and Khadija, I and the fish mongers were nearly hysterical with laughter!
Then, when we got home, Khadija (Khah-dee-zhah)showed me how to clean and cook it.

One fish we breaded and pan fried (it was yummy, we ate it with some of my homemade salsa), the other went into a pan with some veggies after it had been smeared and stuffed with chopped parsley,garlic, and spices.

Khadija did the smearing, since I was busy photographing the illustrious event and I am sure that I will enjoy the fun of doing it myself in the near future! The baked fish and veggies were very tasty (zween beneen) and I even convinced the kids to eat some (the ice cream for dessert was a good motivator).



Steven requested the fish head and had fun discecting it, and even (eventually) ate the meat from it. Our neighbor from upstairs joined us in the feast and her kitties got to enjoy the leftovers.